Iris Cheng

A girl prepares a family dinner on a Sunday night to eat with her busy parents; however, things did not turn out as she hoped…

Families nowadays are distancing from each other. I see capitalism and technology as the main reasons why. People are fighting and racing with time for money, playing games on their phones and checking people’s lives through social media.

My ongoing project is about a Taiwanese family, alienated from each other, numbing from their busy daily routine and gradually forgetting the importance of each other.

Growing up in Taiwan and coming to Vancouver for university, I’ve noticed there is a big difference in the lifestyle and pace for the two cultural backgrounds. People in Vancouver have a really regular schedule, which allows them to spend more time with people they love, compared to Taiwan. Taiwanese life is often overtaken by work. By making this project, I hope Taiwanese, or even people who are also being overwhelmed by life, can see these reflections and come to the realization of how they could improve their lives after watching my film.

Iris Cheng holds a Bachelor of Media Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. During her time in the Film + Screen Art program, she gained experience as a director, screenwriter and editor. As a filmmaker, Iris is interested in the topic of dreams and relationships between humans, since she is interested in the conflict between the human ego and the subconscious. Being born in Canada and raised in Taiwan also affects her perspective of cultural differences. She believes film as mass media can show the world the beauty of a country and the cultural background of different races, especially her cultural background – Taiwanese.